Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Faith: Bringing out the best in our community

Dear faith and human spirit,

I use to think that the measure of “given” could only be quantified
in two ways…Monetary and time based. The recent tragedy that struck the Chico
State Alpha Gamma Rho family when fellow alumni Lowell Forward was paralyzed
from the chest down as a result of an unforeseen accident and the events that took
place after has changed my thoughts concerning this. Last week I stated that
the outpouring of support for Lowell, his wife Jennifer and their children in
such a short amount of time left me speechless. Now those of you who know me
can attest that this does not happen often. Another thing that transpires about
as much as the previously mentioned subject is my ability to generate tears. This
usually only takes place for one of the following reasons:

1.A Cowboys playoff victory.

2.The loss of a loved one or pet. (Those of you
who knew Kobie can attest to this.)

Well, I’ve got another one to add to that list. Yesterday, I
received a message from Lowell’s wife Jennifer and could not get through it without
losing it. Please forgive me for not sharing this touching letter with you but
out of respect her some things are better left private. Something dawned on me once I read this. There is another way to give
and that is through “faith”. The definition of this word has a couple of
meanings. The first obviously being; “the existence of God or strong religious
beliefs”. The other definition associated with this word is just as unmistakable
as the first with it stating; “A strong trust in someone or something”. The
given of money and time are always appreciated when it comes to helping someone
out no matter how menial or large that task may be. By adding faith to the
equation it motivates a person that much more. Faith is what picks up the human
spirit and drives most people towards their goals. This is what triggered the
outpouring of support for Lowell and his family in this time of need. Speaking
of that I would like to update you on where the donations currently stand. Over
the course of the weekend the goal of $10,000 was met within a few short hours
and currently sits at almost $20,000. Once again…Speechless. As I continue to
receive updates as donations pour in from not only here in Chico but from
people across the country it brings a smile to my face in knowing that all of
us are bound by these things: Chico State, Greek, AGR, Family, Friends, Faith…..If
you ask me these are all great things…..

PS. Happy hump date peeps
on this cool end of July day. Continue to send donations to http://www.gofundme.com/lowellforward
and remember.....It’s not about the number of no’s you hear in life it’s about
the times you hear yes.

Life according to me:

Farming includes lots of long hours and hard work. Many hours on the tractor and in the field also gives you lots of time to figure out the world's problems at the same time you are trying to feed it, I guess multi-tasking is one of our greatest strengths. From politics to sports to music to why did insert actor or actress wear that to the Oscar's please enjoy and feedback is not only welcome it is necessary.......Thank you!